Forces Against NIN Policy Behind Attacks Against Me — Pantami

Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, has
alleged forces against the Federal Government’s compulsory policy
on National Identification Number (NIN) registration for all
Nigerians and those residing in the country are behind recent
attacks against him.

Pantami in an exclusive interview with PREMIUM
TIMES dismissed all the allegations against him,
describing them as ‘untrue’.

He further denied links to extremist views, saying criminals and
other ‘entrenched interests’ are behind the attacks on him.

He said: “I have no doubt about this. It has to do with the
National Identification Number. Do you know one thing? This policy
was started in 2011, it was not successful. Why? It was fought

“…In 2015, it came up, it was not successful. In 2018 there was
a time that there were meetings between government and mobile
network operators.

“And it was actually announced that by the agreement with
government, the deadline was January 2018. It is there online, I
will share it with you if you like. By January 2018, it was not
implemented because there are forces against it. There are
forces!”

Pantami explained NIN registration is not only meant for
Nigerians but it could be obtained by anybody in Nigeria.

He said: “Now they have started coming with the news that people
are coming from neighbouring countries to register.

“What they fail to understand is that the National
Identification Number is not only for Nigerians; anybody in Nigeria
can obtain it.

“Section 16 and 17 of the Act mention the registrable people in
the country – citizens, legal residents, legal permanent residents,
and legal residents for a minimum of two years. So, it is not only
for citizens. And it is also important to know that this is not
just an indication that they are citizens of Nigeria.

“It is rather an indication that you presented your biometric
data, so the government has control over your data.

“And that data of NIMC (National Identity Management
Commission), nobody has access to it in any way he likes. Getting
access to it illegally is 10 years in prison. It is there in the
law. But people will like to discredit it, because they don’t like
it.”

The Minister added: “As long as it is implemented by the
government, it will go a long way in reducing crime and based on
the statistics we have been seeing now, it’s really
encouraging.

“As government, our priority is the protection of the lives and
property of our citizens. Security is our priority as a government
– whether in agric, digital economy, education or in health, in
whatever.

“President Muhammadu Buahari is so passionate about security,
and he directed me to do that because he knows I try to persevere
despite challenges and do what is right in the interest of our
citizens and humanity.”

“You know as a government appointee, and at this level, if you
say you are going to be intimidated by everything, then you cannot
do the work. You cannot do the work.

” I was with the Minister of Foreign Affairs this week, on April
12. I was with the Minister. I was with the ambassadors of the
U.K., the U.S., South Korea, and many other countries.

“Even this issue that we are talking about, based on our
findings, preliminary investigation, many people are not happy with
what we have been doing – linking National Identification Number
with SIM. Because a situation will come that all the people using
SIM to commit crime will not be able to do that.

“If they do that, the government will be able to intercept them
easily. This is what they don’t want to happen. And this is a
mandate given to me by President Muhammadu Buhari. He personally
signed the letter that ‘you are mandated to do that’.

“As his appointee, I should either do it or say I cannot. So,
since I am willing to serve my country, I must continue to do it to
the best of my ability.

“So, in my meeting with them, they even encouraged me to push it
and make it very successful.”

Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, has
alleged forces against the Federal Government’s compulsory policy
on National Identification Number (NIN) registration for all
Nigerians and those residing in the country are behind recent
attacks against him.

Pantami in an exclusive interview with PREMIUM
TIMES dismissed all the allegations against him,
describing them as ‘untrue’.

He further denied links to extremist views, saying criminals and
other ‘entrenched interests’ are behind the attacks on him.

He said: “I have no doubt about this. It has to do with the
National Identification Number. Do you know one thing? This policy
was started in 2011, it was not successful. Why? It was fought

“…In 2015, it came up, it was not successful. In 2018 there was
a time that there were meetings between government and mobile
network operators.

“And it was actually announced that by the agreement with
government, the deadline was January 2018. It is there online, I
will share it with you if you like. By January 2018, it was not
implemented because there are forces against it. There are
forces!”

Pantami explained NIN registration is not only meant for
Nigerians but it could be obtained by anybody in Nigeria.

He said: “Now they have started coming with the news that people
are coming from neighbouring countries to register.

“What they fail to understand is that the National
Identification Number is not only for Nigerians; anybody in Nigeria
can obtain it.

“Section 16 and 17 of the Act mention the registrable people in
the country – citizens, legal residents, legal permanent residents,
and legal residents for a minimum of two years. So, it is not only
for citizens. And it is also important to know that this is not
just an indication that they are citizens of Nigeria.

“It is rather an indication that you presented your biometric
data, so the government has control over your data.

“And that data of NIMC (National Identity Management
Commission), nobody has access to it in any way he likes. Getting
access to it illegally is 10 years in prison. It is there in the
law. But people will like to discredit it, because they don’t like
it.”

The Minister added: “As long as it is implemented by the
government, it will go a long way in reducing crime and based on
the statistics we have been seeing now, it’s really
encouraging.

“As government, our priority is the protection of the lives and
property of our citizens. Security is our priority as a government
– whether in agric, digital economy, education or in health, in
whatever.

“President Muhammadu Buahari is so passionate about security,
and he directed me to do that because he knows I try to persevere
despite challenges and do what is right in the interest of our
citizens and humanity.”

“You know as a government appointee, and at this level, if you
say you are going to be intimidated by everything, then you cannot
do the work. You cannot do the work.

” I was with the Minister of Foreign Affairs this week, on April
12. I was with the Minister. I was with the ambassadors of the
U.K., the U.S., South Korea, and many other countries.

“Even this issue that we are talking about, based on our
findings, preliminary investigation, many people are not happy with
what we have been doing – linking National Identification Number
with SIM. Because a situation will come that all the people using
SIM to commit crime will not be able to do that.

“If they do that, the government will be able to intercept them
easily. This is what they don’t want to happen. And this is a
mandate given to me by President Muhammadu Buhari. He personally
signed the letter that ‘you are mandated to do that’.

“As his appointee, I should either do it or say I cannot. So,
since I am willing to serve my country, I must continue to do it to
the best of my ability.

“So, in my meeting with them, they even encouraged me to push it
and make it very successful.”